A Non-Governmental Organization in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2013.

The Conservation for the Oceans Foundation was created to support grassroots-level conservation, education and research projects that bring about positive changes to ecosystems worldwide through local, multi-stakeholder, actions. The Foundation focuses on conservation of water quality, biodiversity, climate change, coral ecology and sustainability for ecosystems and human lifestyles.

2015 Vision for Pilot Projects

Since 1996, we have been looking closely at the effects of micronutrients on ocean systems and agricultural production. We have seen direct nutrient correlations to certain growth coefficients with corals, marine algae, and fisheries productivity. We have also studied downstream effects of feedlot production systems on stream/river ecology. In 2014, we looked at the micronutrient effect on crop production under greenhouse conditions and in the field to further develop through independent laboratory analysis, methodologies to increase crop production and improve the protein and vitamin content. In light of the “Oceans” now being a pillar in the Sustainable Development Goals starting in 2015, it is our intent to further understand using an ecosystem approach for linkage between what happens on the land and how it affects the ocean and develop mechanisms to monetize the values created through conservation, mitigation and restoration opportunities for residual financial sustainability from these preservation and production mechanisms.

We are actively looking for interested agencies and regional representatives to partner with us to do more trials to test these theories to improve crop production and quality, decrease aquatic pollution, further enhance coastal and ocean effects including increase in fisheries productivity, decreases in ocean pollution and improve on-site mechanisms such as mangrove restoration/protection, reef formation and preservation, and other traceable marine protection approaches. We believe that by using stochastic ecosystem approaches, the effects of inputs at various points of the land to sea pathway and the effects of each activity can be balanced in an input/output formulation. We are hopeful that these improvements can be easily adopted in a multistakeholder approach for better adoption and traceability.

Foundation History

In 1990, as part of a regional analysis of the World Aquarium’s development of its educational objectives, the need became apparent for regional coordination of conservation actions and education. Working in conjunction with regional governmental and non-governmental organizations, the World Aquarium established guideposts for multi-stakeholder involvement and designed a plan of action to involve educational, research and conservation activities.

In 1996, the World Aquarium published the book, Conservation and Management of Ornamental Fish Resources of the Rio Negro Basin, Amazonia, Brazil – Project Piaba to develop field level expertise. At the International Aquarium Congress in Monaco in 2000, the World Aquarium instructed and guided for public aquariums to expand their conservation, education and research initiatives. In 2002, the World Aquarium expanded its conservation focus while working with UNESCO for the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts and Islands to develop an international multi-stakeholder organization called the World Ocean Network. In 2006, the Conservation for the Oceans Foundation was founded to expand the World Aquarium’s focus worldwide.

At the Conservation for the Oceans Foundation, we work with regional initiatives that can create lasting changes in conservation by utilizing multi-stakeholder strategies. To learn more about our initiatives, please select from the following: